Advanced automation. Detailed analysis. Elite programming.
QA Engineer
£45,000 - £50,000 (+ Benefits)
Reports to: Lead QA Engineer
Contract: 12 month fixed-term contract
Hours: Full time 35 hours per week
Location: Stratford, London. Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office)
Visa sponsorship: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is
not able to offer visa sponsorship.
Closing date: 10 July 2025 23:55
This vacancy may close earlier if a high volume of applications is received or once a suitable candidate is found, therefore we strongly recommend that you apply early to avoid disappointment. If you require more time to apply as part of a reasonable adjustment, please contact
[email protected] as soon as possible.
Recruitment process: One competency-based interview with a pre-interview exercise
Interview date: From the week commencing 21 July 2025
How do I apply? We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won’t be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to fully complete the work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly, and objectively.
At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.
We are professionals with purpose, beating cancer every day. But we need to go much further and much faster. That’s why we’re looking for someone talented, someone who wants to develop their skills, someone like you.
Cancer Research UK has an ambitious Engineering Strategy and modern Tech Stack with a complex hybrid (on-premise & multi-cloud) infrastructure underpinning an extensive technical estate. As a QA Engineer, you will be part of our Science, Information, and Chief Operating Office (SIC) portfolio, supporting the tools and systems that enable Cancer Research UK’s scientists and operational teams to deliver the charity’s life-saving work.
In this role, you will work across a diverse range of change initiatives, products, and both SaaS and in-house solutions while bringing quality to the heart of our development lifecycle. You’ll lead on test planning, author and execute test cases, applying your expertise at every stage of the development lifecycle—from early design through to deployment.
In this collaborative role, you’ll partner with engineers, product managers, and fellow QA professionals to uphold the highest standards, championing quality practices by promoting testability and embracing exploratory testing, and identifying ways to improve the team’s processes, tools, and testing efficiency to accelerate delivery and quality.
Your legacy by the end of this contract will be to have made a tangible impact on the quality and speed of our software delivery- strengthening the technical foundations that enable our operations and advance our purpose. If you are an experienced QA Engineer skilled in using Typescript within a test automation framework to drive automation, we would love for you to join our mission.
What will I be doing?
- Operating as an independent QA professional within one of our Technology portfolios, collaborating closely with the Product Manager, Business Analyst, and Developers within your portfolio.
- Supporting the whole software development lifecycle process from initial planning to execution and monitoring.
- Providing QA insight to the development teams, including early involvement in requirements gathering, reviewing design and architecture, defining testable acceptance criteria, and performing code reviews.
- Providing guidance and assistance from a functional testing perspective.
- Testing for different customer needs (including functional, integration, accessibility, security, and performance using tools such as: Playwright, Axe, Artillery, and K6).
- Setting up and maintaining QA automation infrastructure.
- Reviewing design artefacts for testability and defining overall testing plans.
- Being an ambassador for TDD, BDD, and ATDD models.
- Championing in bug triage for customer values.
- Understanding how the software application works inside and out.
What skills will I need?
- QA Engineer with experience in GraphQL, REST API, Web GUI, and cross-browser testing.
- Tools we like: Playwright, Vitest, Artillery.io, Applitools, BrowserStack, Axe, K6 (equivalent tools/frameworks valid).
- Solid experience in using TypeScript within a Playwright test automation framework to drive automation.
- Practical knowledge of non-functional testing types such as accessibility, performance, and security testing.
- Skilled in the design of acceptance tests and a passion for exploratory testing.
- Initiative to evolve ideas and implement solutions.
- Knowledge of Agile and Lean ways of working.
- An enthusiasm for new technologies with the ability to adapt and learn.
- Excellent attention to detail.
Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.
Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determination
Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism
Human: Act to have a positive impact on people
Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively
We’re looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer.
If you’re interested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills and experience we’d still love to hear from you.
What will I gain?
We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools. Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals.
You can explore our benefits by visiting our careers web page.
Additional Information
For more information about working with us please visit our website or contact us at
[email protected].
For more updates on our work and careers, follow us on: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.
Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented.
We want to see every candidate performing at their best throughout the job application process, interview process and whilst at work. We therefore ask you to inform us of any concerns you have or any adjustments you might need to enable this to happen. Please contact
[email protected] or
020 3469 8400 as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, we are unable to recruit anyone below the age of 18, so that we can protect young people from health & safety and safeguarding risks.
